On the 13th of the Platinum Moon, it was soon time for the sun to set over the rugged ridges of the Galahad Mountain Range.
At a certain point along the northwest highway connecting Spada to Avalon, it would still take several hours to reach the nearest village, Dak.
Given the time and location, it would usually be standard to choose to camp outside unless in a great hurry.
And at this moment, a party of adventurers was just about to begin preparations for their camp.
There were four of them: a mage, an archer, a warrior, and a swordsman, all human men, a typical configuration that was not uncommon in Spada.
However, they were closer to thieves than to ordinary adventurers.
Not that they were the kidnappers that had recently troubled Fahren; they were more the type that, on a whim or opportunity, would ambush merchants, travelers, or fellow adventurers.
Even if it didn’t lead to murder, instances of robbing valuables and equipment still happened frequently in this world.
Ultimately, while they outwardly operated as adventurers, at their core, they were mere criminals.
It is precisely because there are so many like them that adventurers are often associated with a negative image of being rough and uncouth.
This is not the case for familiar adventurers who work only in their hometown villages, but in populous, rapidly changing urban areas or with transient adventurers, such views are especially prevalent.
Nevertheless, the cunning aspect of those here now was that they maintained an appearance of earnest and refreshing young men, and they were capitalizing on it to the fullest.
“Hey, look! Something incredible is coming!”
One of the archer-class men, excitedly shouting while exploring the area for a suitable camping site.
The others did not ask what it was.
What they should have asked him was,
“In what sense?”
“A girl!”
In other words, it was about the type of prey they intended to take—whether it be gold or a woman, one of those two options.
“Nice.”
“Awesome!”
“What a gift from the gods.”
The mage, swordsman, and warrior each twisted their handsome faces into wicked smiles at their excellent looks.
“This is beyond a gift; this is an incredible find.”
Having attracted a decent number of women until now, their discerning eyes had become sharp.
That they were praising her to such an extent meant that their expectations, hearts, and loins were inevitably racing.
“How many?”
However, the one who calmly inquired was the mage-class man, the party leader.
“One, no… two perhaps?”
“Which is it? Is there a male companion?”
“No, they’re a pair, but one is a child—a little girl.”
“A little girl, huh…”
The mage pondered briefly.
The archer, who had seen it directly, wore a somewhat skeptical expression, while the swordsman also looked the same, but
the warrior appeared strangely pleased.
“The little girl is super cute too. They’re probably sisters.”
“I see. Even if they can’t be used, they’ll be worth money.”
They had a slave merchant they were on good terms with; if they could successfully sell to him, it could greatly enrich them to a ludicrous extent, making it seem foolish to work seriously as adventurers.
Slaves were indeed that much of a luxury good.
“Alright, then I’ll go take a look.”
As the mage elegantly mounted his horse, the three cheerfully sent off their leader.
He wasn’t serving as the party leader for nothing; his looks and the way he could charm women made him the best.
And he had pride in that.
Riding down the highway with the expectations of his friends on his back, the mage quickly spotted the shadow of what the thief had indicated as the ‘incredible find.’
From the direction, it likely came from the opposite side of them, probably progressing down the highway from Dak via Spada, aiming for Avalon.
As expected, the figure, with a young little sister in tow, chose not to walk; instead, they were mounted on a fine black horse.
The size of the horse alone was enough to draw attention, but
“Whoa, seriously…”
A girl expertly handling the reins captivated the mage, momentarily causing him to forget himself.
She wore the black apprentice mage’s robe that even Spada students did not often don nowadays.
Despite such a plain outfit, her beauty was not diminished in the slightest.
A simple white headband adorned her, and her shiny black short hair reflected the sunlight, sparkling brightly.
With her black hair and black robe, her translucent white skin face stood out even more.
Her sharp jawline, soft pink lips, and slender nose were all perfect, as if crafted by the gods.
Above all, her blue eyes shining behind black-rimmed glasses and her somewhat languid expression exuded a mysterious aura.
Though the mage himself wore custom-made stylish glasses to enhance his intellectual image, hers made him feel his were trivial in comparison; they suited her perfectly.
Despite them appearing to be ugly black-rimmed glasses that one could find in a village tool shop, they seemed like a unique work made just for her, making them incredibly alluring.
“Wow…”
The distance was shrinking to the point he could already see her face.
Even so, the mage felt an exhilarating flutter in his heart akin to the time when he was a young boy, enamored with an older girl living in the neighborhood.
If one-could truly experience love at first sight, this would be it.
“…I’m going to do this.”
However, he was no longer an innocent, virgin boy; he was a playboy who had charmed many women.
With determination, he firmly vowed in his heart.
“I will definitely make her mine.”
And as always, no, even more than usual, he displayed a perfect refreshing smile and called out to her.
“It’s a good omen to have been caught right from the start.”
On the 13th of the Platinum Moon, the sun had long gone below the Galahad Mountain Range, and it was the dead of night.
The location was in a thicket slightly off the highway.
Even if someone was hurrying down the highway, they would not notice people in this spot.
No matter how loudly one shouted, their voice would not reach the highway due to the distance.
“I’m sure the demon god is blessing our journey. Oh, thank you, demon god.”
“Haven’t you heard that saying nice things when you’re about to offer a sacrifice doesn’t really help?”
“Right?”
The two figures engaged in such banter in the thicket.
One was a girl clad in an apprentice mage’s robe, wearing a headband and black-rimmed glasses.
The other was a young girl with long twin tails wearing a white robe of an apprentice healer.
The two, having the same black hair and blue eyes in robed appearances, looked like sisters at first glance.
However, there was no blood relation between these two, as they belonged to different races altogether.
“Now, I’ll light it, so please stay back, Lily.”
“Don’t burn too flamboyantly, Fiona.”
Yes, despite their outward appearances differing in color, they were members of the Rank 3 adventurer party “Element Master,” the fairy Lily and the witch Fiona.
What they needed were human bodies and lives; these were not easily obtained physically or legally, but fortunately, as Fiona had boasted, they had already acquired four sacrifices on just the first day since leaving Spada.
The too-familiar approach of the bespectacled mage and the three men identifying themselves as his party members, although visually decent-looking, hidden behind their sweet masks were ugly desires exposed by Lily’s strong telepathy.
It seemed they had conveniently interpreted Fiona and Lily as naïve apprentice mages and had led them to this perfect position where no one would come to help, even if they cried out.
Thanks to this, they could smoothly conduct Lily’s human experiments, and Fiona had no trouble igniting the fire for the sacrifices.
The four were bound with ropes, just like some thieves before them, and tied around a tree.
The heads of all four had long since been toyed with by Lily, leaving their selves, reason, and dignity shattered, resulting in them drooling and voicing meaningless groans.
With a sleepy golden gaze—no, now dyed blue—she indifferently stared at this scene while holding the forbidden book “The Pharos Leading to the Demon Palace” in one hand and murmur a forbidden incantation.
“Dedicated to all evil gods—”
Before a minute had passed, as soon as the incantation was complete, the four bodies spontaneously ignited.
The fire spread with an intensity as if their entire bodies were previously covered in alchemical oil, and in an instant, four blazing torches were formed.
The four fires ignited the tree binding them, ultimately transforming into a gigantic torch blazing fiercely.
Thus, the bodies and souls of the four men were slammed into the heavens, no, plummeted to the far-off hell, the dwelling place of the evil gods, to become the fuel for Fiona’s power.
Lily: “Burn, burn, oh—”
Fiona: “Flames, burn!”
The 13th of the Platinum Moon is the same date as Chapter 270, “Strength Enhancement.”
November 9, 2012
As for Chapter 17, I believe the title speaks for itself, but the story’s timeline will be going back.
I recognize this is vital for the story; however, considering this Chapter 17, unlike the previous Chapter 3—which received negative reviews—is one without the main character, I will increase the update frequency to three days a week, even posting on Wednesdays.